PKN's latest print issue is hitting desks around the country, and as always, it’s packed with the latest industry developments, award highlights, and technology-led features spanning packaging design, production, sustainability, and more.
Hot off the press, the PKN Packaging News July-August 2025 issue is on its way to you in the mail and available online for your convenience.
This issue includes special awards coverage, starting with a comprehensive review of the 2025 PKN Women in Packaging Awards (starting on page 18). Now in its second year, the programme once again recognised the exceptional women driving progress, innovation and impact across the packaging value chain.
At the 2025 PKN Women in Packaging Awards event, we recognised the exceptional women driving progress, innovation and impact across the packaging value chain (page 18); the judges had their work cut out selecting the Class of 2025 winners from a field of high-calibre nominations (page 24); and more than a celebration of individual achievement, the event fostered a powerful sense of community and connection within the industry (page 32).
FEATURES
In our Cover Story, we look at how Avery Dennison is harnessing digital tools like atma.io and recyclable RFID labels to help brands meet their environmental goals. The feature explores how smart packaging strategies are enabling greater transparency, traceability, and sustainability across global supply chains (page 14).
In Sustainability, we feature a sharp commentary from Mike Ritchie, who notes that almost two years on from a landmark pledge by environment ministers, we are still waiting for meaningful packaging waste reform; his call for urgency highlights the critical need for stronger policy direction; and the section also rounds up the latest in sustainable packaging innovation and initiatives driving accountability across the sector (page 16).
In Pack Print & Design, East Coast Canning + Printing unveils its BulletProof solution, designed to overcome durability challenges in digital can printing (page 34); Perfection Fresh has undertaken a comprehensive packaging and brand refresh to unify its previously fragmented portfolio, with design led by Boxer & Co (page 36); and Labelexpo Europe 2025 promises a reimagined experience, with an expanded technology scope to reflect the sector’s evolving needs (page 38).
Then in Beverage Packaging, Suntory has opened its new $400m flagship beverage production facility, showcasing world-class packaging technology and sustainable design (page 40); CCEP Australia has commissioned the largest and most efficient canning line in its global network, located in Brisbane (page 42); and KHS and Husky have set a new benchmark with one of the world’s lightest PET bottles for still beverages (page 43).
In our stacked Production & Automation section, Ego Pharmaceuticals unveils a bold commitment to local manufacturing with a $156m investment to expand its Victorian operations (page 44); Heat and Control’s FoodTech Forum goes beyond an equipment showcase to create a platform for dialogue on sustainable food systems (page 45); Cama develops an automatic carton loading solution using cobots and vision technology to improve efficiency and safety (page 46); and J.L.Lennard explains why, in today’s fast-evolving food sector, success depends not just on efficient processes, but on forward-thinking partnerships (page 48).
In our global Trade Shows & Awards round-up, K 2025, the world’s largest trade fair for plastics and rubber, is set to take centre stage as a showcase of resilience, reinvention and responsible innovation amid continued uncertainty across the plastics value chain (page 50); IPACK-IMA 2025 reinforced its status as a key global event for process and packaging technologies, with the four-day expo exceeding expectations in visitor numbers, international participation and cross-sector innovation (page 52); and a spotlight on Italy’s award-winning packaging offered valuable insight into the direction of global design trends (page 54). Meanwhile, the WPO’s WorldStar Awards ceremony took place in Milan in May, with the ANZ region once again well represented among the global winners (page 55).
BUT WAIT, THERE’S MORE…
As always, rounding out the issue are our regular sections: Industry Insight takes a closer look at the reasons behind APCO’s delay of its proposed EPR fee model, as stakeholders across the sector call for greater regulatory clarity (page 12); Tech Speak reflects on a record-breaking edition of ProPak Asia, which hosted the AIP’s first Australasian delegation and featured significant contributions from AIP to the education program (page 56); and we highlight upcoming events to mark on your calendar in What’s On, with Labelexpo Europe and the Sustainable Packaging Summit among the key European fixtures to plan for (page 58).
And finally, in News: Close the Loop makes leadership changes (page 6); Pact shareholders vote for ASX delisting (page 6); Pact’s recycled milk bottle resin passes US FDA tests (page 7); paper bubble wrap debuts in Australia (page 8); Huskee rolls out a smart reuse cup scheme in Sydney (page 8); Pact and Unilever team up on a 70% rHDPE Lynx bottle (page 9); and a new partnership aims to transform soft plastics recycling (page 10).
Enjoy the read.
